While it may be desirable that every fabric that is used in clothing be flame resistant, this requirement is clearly more important for some fabrics than others. For example, it is vital that the jackets and pants of firefighters be flame resistant. Also, the bedclothes of small children may benefit from being somewhat flame resistant. Street clothes, on the other hand, need not be flame resistant, especially if the fabric, when made flame resistant, adversely affects the more desirable qualities of street clothes, such as comfort, appearance, hand, and reasonable cost.
Military battle dress uniforms demand a compromise between a number of different and oftentimes competing requirements, especially uniforms worn by soldiers who operate battle vehicles. Battle dress uniforms must be durable, able to receive dyes and camouflage prints, and reasonably comfortable. Due to the battlefield conditions present, for example, inside a battle vehicle, it is also desirable for a military uniform to be flame resistant.
Flame resistant properties can be imparted to materials containing natural and synthetic fibers using well-known treatments. For example, a flame retardant finish can be applied to the surface of a fabric or to the fibers from which the fabric is made. However, after repeated washings, the ability of such treated fabrics to resist fire and flames can be significantly compromised or entirely eliminated.
Fabrics have been developed which exhibit flame resistant properties without applying a flame retardant finish to the fabric. For example, fabrics made from certain aromatic polyamide fibers, such as NOMEX® fibers commercially available from DuPont, are resistant to heat and flame without the application of a flame retardant finish. While fabrics made from such flame resistant aramid fibers may exhibit desirable flame resistance, such fabrics can be difficult to print on and images printed thereon tend to exhibit poor lightfastness. Furthermore, aramid fibers typically are more expensive than other synthetic fibers or natural fibers and, therefore, fabrics that are principally composed of such fibers typically are more expensive than those made from other synthetic or natural fibers.
In an effort to address the undesirable properties of fabrics made from such aramid fibers, others have attempted to develop fabrics using yarns comprising blends of aramid, natural, and synthetic fibers. While these efforts have met with varying degrees of success, a need still remains for a flame resistant fabric that exhibits improved print quality, lightfastness, and retains its flame resistance after repeated launderings.
The invention provides such a fabric and a process for producing the same. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.